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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26118913">Days Since</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imperialis/pseuds/Imperialis'>Imperialis</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Andres - Freeform, Betrayal, Cassandra - Freeform, Damsels in Distress, Empire, Fantasy, Femme Fatale, First work - Freeform, Gen, Hollow - Freeform, Jaya, Kerrus, Mercenaries, Not Serious, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Personality Quiz, Tags May Change, amethyst - Freeform, complete outline, hero - Freeform, im so sorry, mentor, political turmoil, rebel, what even are tags</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:54:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,796</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26118913</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imperialis/pseuds/Imperialis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A story of an unlikely hero learning to do his duty at the expense of his morality. Accompanied by a band of mercenaries, a beautiful femme fatale, and a mysterious oracle to save the damsel in distress against the backdrop of civil unrest.</p><p>Just a short story written by friends during quarantine. The three main women are based on our character tropes from a personality quiz.<br/>uquiz.com/quiz/nsYXgV/which-character-trope-are-you</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andres &amp; Cassandra, Hollow &amp; Amethyst, Kerrus &amp; Jaya</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1: 0 Days Since</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is an original work I decided to do during quarantine based off of personality quiz my friends and I did. Said friends, LunaCascabel and OpalApple, are my betas.<br/>This isn't serious, but criticism and questions are welcome lmao, I hope you have fun with it.<br/>The first three chapters will be uploaded simultaneously and the rest will be uploaded once a week on Wednesdays.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Darkness has been present since the beginning of time. In this particular world, like in many, it can come in several forms. A dragon gone mad from old age, a long line of corrupt monarchs who put their pride before their people, demons roaming the countryside, despondent Gods of Old who fear their inevitable replacement. But the most dangerous kind of all is the darkness belonging to the average man. The man who is desperate and willing to do anything for their cause, justified or not.</p>
<p>The Kingdom of Agnizera, which had recently become an empire with the annexation of the Kingdom of Colovia, had one such problem. With the ascension of newly crowned King Azaniledro, Agnizera was waging wars on nearby countries so he could become an Emperor. In his old age, he had finally taken over the entire continent, spreading grief and misery to his newly acquired subjects. Though wise and knowledgeable on how his empire should run, he was greedy and disinterested in what could very well be described as the heart of Agnizera, his heirs.</p>
<p>He had a bad hobby of collecting princesses, queens, and women of royal lineage. He had twelve daughters and three sons, 13 of whom were born to the women in his harem. These women were royals so all of their children had a right to the throne. But only the first born, the Imperial Prince Rojexali, was presumed to be the official heir. Rojexali was the only child he favored, as shown by his name. It was customary to name the first born male with a name befitting royalty for good luck and a long reign. The rest of Azaniledro’s children had short, undignified names: Aleja, Mirya, Jore. Proof of their inadequacy.</p>
<p>But the Emperor did not limit his affairs to just royalty. His youngest, Valena, was known throughout all of Agnizera as the ‘Unwanted Child’. Her mother was the daughter of a small Baron family. She had just come of age at the time of Valena’s birth. It was a scandal that rocked the kingdom from its highest to its lowest classes. Young, naive, and with no social backing or power to speak of; Valena was an Imperial princess in name only. Her greatest and only ally was her maid, Jaya. Jaya was the only child of the Minister of Finance in the Republic of Dhamaye, the first country to fall to Emperor Azaniledro. Her young life was spared, despite her high ranking, to serve as a maid to the newest princess who had yet to be born. Jaya had been taking care of Valena ever since.</p>
<p>Even with Valena at 15 years old, Jaya had remained her only friend. While other maids took care of the washing and preparation of meals, Jaya would dress her, bathe her, and spend all of her free time with her. Jaya was the only one allowed in her room. Valena was reaching the age for her social debut and becoming increasingly stressed. Her siblings were becoming bolder in their disapproval of her and the palace servants had taken to avoiding her gaze and whispering behind her back when she showed her face. Jaya, with her previous exposure to high society, limited though it was, had started to teach Valena sophistication and etiquette. The Emperor never seemed to care enough about Valena to bring her tutors in preparation for her role in high society, leaving Jaya in her young age to take care of it all.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this proximity made Jaya vulnerable. The Emperor, given his ruthlessness, of course, had enemies. There was a rebel group from the fallen Country of Colovia who had been plaguing him for months. They were terrorizing commoners in remote villages, pilfering nobles in their carriages between territories, and enlisting mistreated peoples of other annexed countries into their ranks. They had every intention of taking down the empire and reinstating the countries, violently. They concocted a plan to kidnap one of his heirs and demand his surrender or forfeit their life and they did just that. Imperial Princess Valena, being the black stain on the Imperial family, lived in a neglected and empty palace farthest from everyone. In the night they broke in and stole their target, whisking her away into the forest, their destination unknown.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2: 1 Day Since</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The morning after, a shrill shriek could be heard from near the princesses’ bedroom. The palace staff rushed in and found Valena on the floor, sobbing.</p><p>“What’s the matter, Your Imperial Highness?” one of the maids asked. Valena was still loudly wailing and wouldn’t answer.</p><p>After a few moments of the maids consoling her, she stuttered out, “She’s gone. Jaya is gone.”</p><p>“Why would she run away?” one of the maids whispered to a butler.</p><p>Valena began screaming again. “She didn’t run away!” She clenched her eyes shut as her voice grew even louder and her breathing became harsh. “She would never run away, she had to have been kidnapped!” After her outburst, no one spoke, not even Valena. All that could be heard were her labored breaths until she bolted up and ran off. Shocked, the staff did nothing until she was well out of sight before they began to follow her. She seemed to disappear until one of the cooks spotted her running to the back of the garden.</p><p>“The back….?” he muttered to himself, confused. Then he realized; there was a path in her garden that led straight to the main palace where the Emperor resides. He frantically told any staff he came across before racing to grab her. Everyone in all of Agnizera knew that the 15th Imperial princess was ill-favored. Going to meet the Emperor unannounced and unwanted could lead to her death.</p><p>A crew of assorted gardeners, cooks, maids, and stable hands dashed after the princess, but unfortunately, they were too late. She had reached the palace and was running down its halls. She made it before the Emperor’s study and banged the door open while the staff that followed prayed silently for her safety and watched out of view.</p><p>“Your Majesty-!” Valena started, but the Emperor quickly interrupted her.</p><p>“What is the meaning of this?” he roared as he rose from his desk. His menacing gaze took in Valena’s disheveled state. Valena stood breathing hard, adrenaline rushing through her veins and didn’t seem to see his stormy expression.</p><p>“Your Majesty, this morning I woke up and found that my maid, Jaya, has gone missing. I’m requesting a search party to look for her,” Valena said. Despite the circumstances, she managed to speak clearly and proudly. The Emperor, aggravated yet intrigued by her behavior, waved her on to continue.</p><p>“I know she didn’t just run away. Last night, she tucked me in bed and made her way to her room when I heard glass shatter and thumping. I thought she had dropped the pitcher she was carrying and just went to sleep.”</p><p>“You realize that’s not enough evidence to suggest she’s been kidnapped right?” the Emperor turned back to the documents in his hand. “She’s no one special anyways. Go back to your palace, I’m busy.”</p><p>Valena’s blood began to boil with anger and disappointment. She had no guards to send after Jaya or any money to hire anyone on her own. The Emperor, seeing that she hadn’t left yet, put his papers down to stare her down. “I said leave.”</p><p>“But Your M-” Valena started.</p><p>“Leave!” the Emperor boomed. He slammed his fist on his desk, knocking an inkstand and several books off with the force. His guards moved to take hold of Valena and drag her away but she dropped to her knees and held her head to the ground.</p><p>“Father!” she cried. The room went silent. The guards in the room and the staff watching were holding their breath. The Emperor stared at her, stunned. Seeing the atmosphere change, Valena took it even further. “Father, I know you don’t love my mother and I know you don’t love me, but I’m begging you, please allow me some of your young knights. Jaya means everything to me, please Father!” Valena was looking at him now, tears streaming down her face.</p><p>The staff continued to watch in shock and awe as Valena held her father’s gaze, tearstained but defiant. Something shifted deep within the Emperor as he looked down at Valena. In that moment, Valena reminded him of her mother. He gave a long sigh. “Fine, just- fine. Stop crying.” The Emperor sat back down and slouched in his chair, defeated. “I won’t spare my knights but I can hire a group of mercenaries to look for your maid, hopefully this pleases you?”</p><p>Valena, shocked, smiled and hurriedly jumped off the floor. “Yes, yes! Thank you so much Fath- '' She was about to run to the Emperor before she regained her composure and gave a curtsy. Head bowed low, she corrected herself, “Thank you, Your Majesty,” then excused herself.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3: 1 Day Since</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The little palace Valena resided in buzzed with activity. Not only had the Imperial princess disturbed His Majesty, but she had come out unscathed with news of mercenaries on their way to help. The staff continued work as usual but Valena was struggling without Jaya. She didn’t know how to dress herself, brush her hair, and went hungry for hours before she realized that she had to fetch her food herself. When the mercenaries arrived to receive the details of their mission, they were greeted with an unkempt girl who looked worse than the maids. They were told to expect a beautiful young girl and almost ignored her in their haste to find the princess. Only Hollow, the head of the mercenary group, realized who she was and knelt down before her.</p>
<p>“Your Imperial Highness.” Watching him bow, the rest quickly followed suit and knelt down as well.</p>
<p>Valena tried to put into practice all Jaya had taught her to command respect. She tilted her chin up and started speaking in as dignified a voice as she could muster. “Gentlemen, thank you for heeding my summons. I trust you’ve been briefed already?”</p>
<p>The men continued to kneel, stifling grins at her disheveled appearance. “We are to search for a woman of the Imperial household and bring her back safely,” Hollow replied.</p>
<p>Valena gave a curt nod, “Yes, her name is Jaya. Please take the utmost care when retrieving her. My servants will provide you with food and clothing with plenty of gold coins to make your journey easier. Best of luck.” The mercenaries rose to their feet and followed a servant to collect their supplies. By the end of the day, they were on their way.</p>
<p>Of course, with how late they left the palace, they were only able to travel a few hours before they were forced to stop for the night. Earlier they had decided to travel for longer then stay in an inn instead of stopping at sundown and spend time setting up camp in the forest. By the time they reached the inn, they were famished. The ‘Hungry Hog’ wasn’t the finest establishment and the food left quite a lot to be desired, but it was the only inn with a restaurant in the entire town so it was always full of travelers.</p>
<p>“By the Blessed, when was the last time we slept in beds!” one of the mercenaries laughed out. He playfully bumped the arm of Andres, Hollow’s younger brother. “Must be nice for us all to stay here so you don’t have to do all the chores huh?” Andres rolled his eyes and smiled back.</p>
<p>“Forget the inn, Andres’ food can’t be beat!” someone yelled in the back. Everyone roared with laughter and a few clapped Andres on the back in mock sympathy. In all honesty, Andres hated his role in the group. Being Hollow’s brother, he was adequately trained and was stronger than most of the members but he was too soft-hearted. He kept getting in trouble for refusing to kill his enemies. Andres believed in mercy, but such kindness was seen as a sign of weakness in his line of work.</p>
<p>Across the room, there seemed to be a crowd gathering around the bar. Most of the mercenaries had sat down at tables or stood for lack of space. All of them were busy ordering food and joking around with each other. As the crew made merry, largely ignoring their resident pack mule, Andres focused in on the restless herd.</p>
<p>“--your past seems to have been filled with misery. I understand things are looking up for you now but if you keep going down this unrighteous path, you’ll surely fall prey to your very successes,” a dignified woman was speaking evenly from the center of the crowd. Her words carried the burden of ages of knowledge, despite her youthful appearance.</p>
<p>“What do you mean ‘my successes’? I’m just a modest merchant!” said the man, having his future read. His face was starting to redden.</p>
<p>“You’re modest now but you’ll become rich and greedy and your children will follow in those footsteps. Pay heed kind soul, for it may not remain kind for much longer,” the Oracle replied. The man growled and reared his hand back, ready to strike, but someone in the front of the crowd grabbed his hand forcefully and yanked him back.</p>
<p>“Who do you thin-” the man started, but was quickly stunned into silence. Before him was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.</p>
<p>“Now now, is that any way to treat a lady? You asked for a reading and she gave it to you, for free even!” She was smiling when she said this but her eyes were cold and hard. “Now scram.”</p>
<p>The man’s face grew pale and he stumbled in his haste to get away. The beautiful woman turned her steely gaze onto the rest of the onlookers in the crowd.<br/>“Anybody else feeling brave?” she inquired playfully.<br/>The inn quieted down instantly and the crowd quickly dispersed. Andres stared for a few seconds more before turning his attention to his companions at the table.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4: 1 Day Since</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After the crowd left the Oracle alone, she turned to the beautiful woman . “Thank you for stopping him,’ she said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No problem! I don’t take kindly to people bullying lovely ladies like you,” she finished with a wink. The Oracle gave a curt nod and turned back to her meal. Instead of leaving, however, the woman sat down beside the Oracle, expectantly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I help you?” asked the Oracle, eyebrows furrowing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well I totally just saved your pretty face from a bruise, don’t you want to grant me a favor?” the woman said, scooting closer. She turned to the bartender, “Two of my regular drinks, please!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Oracle turned away, peeved. “A favor? That’s presumptuous. Aren’t you being a bit rude?” she says, pushing the drink away. “I mean please, I don’t even know your name,” the Oracle eyed the stranger with a gleam of curiosity that belied the irritation in her voice. The stranger in question tipped her head back and laughed out loud.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The name’s Amethyst but you can call me Ame, for a price of course,” Amethyst replied. The bartender came back with two drinks and to the Oracle’s surprise, it wasn’t alcohol. “And don’t worry, I don’t drink either.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well Ms. Amethyst, I’m afraid if the ‘fee’ you’re looking for is a reading, then you’re out of luck. You’ve seen first hand the trouble it brings.” the Oracle declared, lips twitching into a slight smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It seems you really do have otherworldly talent because you just read my mind. In that case, I request your name, Oh Wise One,” Amethyst tried. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her smile growing wider, the Oracle replied, “Cassandra.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well then Cassandra, what brings you here to the illustrious ‘Hungry Hog’?”Amethyst gestured grandly to the peeling paint and scuffed table before her, but noticed that Cassandra was no longer paying attention to her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Following Cassandra’s line of sight, Amethyst settled on the group of mercenaries. “Ohhhh, got your eye on one of those hunks, huh? Not really my type but you do you I guess.” The Oracle said nothing and got up, leaving her now lukewarm drink unattended. She walked  over to the group, Amethyst trailing behind as some of their conversation filtered in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you get a good look at that seer? I didn’t see her face but her voice sounded beautiful,” one mercenary said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Forget her, did you see the one who stopped the merchant? Whew, what I’d give to have a girl like that!” another replied. Hollow laughed along and said nothing as he watched the two women approach the group. An idea began to form in his mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about you Andres, you’ve been silent. What’d you think about them?” Hollow asked loudly, knowing the women would be able to hear. There was nothing wrong with teasing your little brother was there?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know, didn't you find the Oracle kind of odd? She seems... old,” Andres said. Other members noticed the presence of the conversation’s topic and went silent. A few gave long sighs or smacked their heads as Andres continued to talk, lost in thought. “And the other woman was very gorgeous, true, although her beauty hardly seems natural. She dresses like she’s looking for attention. A prostitute maybe?” At this point everyone was looking behind him, unbeknownst to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My dear baby brother, you certainly don’t have a way with words nor the ability to observe the obvious,, nor a sense of understanding the atmosphere,” Hollow laughed with a tinge of pity. Some of the men laughed with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well I certainly don’t feel old. Do I look old Amethyst?’ Cassandra asked playfully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I dare say you do seem to be getting on a bit. Is that a wrinkle on your forehead?” Amethyst answered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cassandra pulled a face and decided to follow along. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t own a mirror, but maybe a prostitute like you might be able to help me out? What sort of items do you keep in that blouse of yours?” Amethyst burst out laughing and Cassandra let out a quiet chuckle. The mercenaries laughed along while Andres looked at the floor, cheeks burning. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When things quietened down, Cassandra started speaking. “I’ve heard your conversation, you’re looking for someone for the Imperial family correct? Maybe you could use the talents of someone such as myself?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hollow’s pleasant  expression turned a little more serious. No matter how playful he and his men were, he valued business. “It depends, I saw you read a man’s future today and while I don’t know if you’re legit, we could use someone like that on our team. But we still don’t know the full extent of your abilities.” Some of his men looked a bit confused at this, hadn’t she just read a man’s future? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He continued, “How many people can you read a day? Is it just people you can read or can you just look into the future? What other abilities do you have? These are the sort of things I need to know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Oracle looked pleased at his questions. “You’re thorough, aren’t you?. To answer your questions: there is no limit to my reading abilities, I can read the future or past of anyone or anything, including situations. Unfortunately, it doesn’t just come to me, I have to will it. I also have to be in good health but that is not something you have to concern yourself with.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And the other abilities?” Hollow asked. Cassandra simply shook her head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hollow seemed to think to himself for a little bit then nodded his head. “Well then we’d love to have you join our group,” he turned to Amethyst, “and what about you?” Amethyst looked surprised and looked around before pointing to herself. A few of the men laughed as Hollow nodded, urging her to speak. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh I don’t really have any talents besides being pretty,” she said nonchalantly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you’ll be warming our beds then!” someone said in the background, barely noticeable with the bustling sounds of the inn. Amethyst turned to glare at the man who said it, nonetheless having been able to hear him and point him out accurately.. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should be so lucky.” she sneered, lifting her chin up. She turned back to Hollow. “If you’re serious about hiring my services, I’m good with intel. I pride myself on collecting secrets.” she cooed, her voice dropping lower. “I’d guess the men in your group are too stupid to throw on a little charm and get people to speak.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hollow chuckled and held his hand out. “Welcome to the group then, I’m Hollow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amethyst took his hand in a firm grip. “I’m Amethyst, but you can call me Ame,” she said with a wink. Cassandra rolled her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m Cassandra, pleased to make your acquaintance.” she said, closing her eyes and giving a slight bow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I gathered that given the little performance you two pulled earlier,” he replied flatly. “It’s getting late, let’s rest up and I’ll introduce the rest of the group to you both.” Everyone nodded in agreement, although a few men stayed behind a few seconds to chug the rest of their drinks, and they all made their way to their respective rooms. Cassandra stole a glance towards Andres with a forlorn expression before turning and closing her door.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5: 2 Days Since</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Andres awoke with a jolt to a dark room. The sun was still beneath the horizon and the rest of the world should have been asleep, yet he felt as if he was being watched. He sat up and looked around the room seeing nothing but men sprawled on the floor, snoring. A rather loud snort had him chuckle softly, easing his stress before he opened his mouth wide for a yawn before turning on his side, willing himself to sleep. He nearly managed it when suddenly he felt a warm hand touch his arm. His eyes shot open again and this time he found himself face to face with a shadowy figure. He jolted up and opened his mouth to yell but before he could make a sound, he felt a hand cover his mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hush, Andres. It’s me, Cassandra. I have something I want to speak to you about,” she whispered. She took her hand off him hesitantly, seeing he made no move to alert the others in the room, she got up slowly, stepping over bodies on the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Andres waited until she was out the room before he also got up, periodically looking around again to see if anyone had woken up. Once he reached the door, Cassandra grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hallway. She pulled him along for quite some time until the pavement of the town turned into trodden dirt pathways near the edge of the woods. Andres thought they were far enough but Cassandra continued to lead him forwards.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t until they had walked through the woods and happened upon a clearing that Cassandra finally slowed down and turned back towards him. Andres stumbled to a halt,  covered in sweat and breathing hard, but Cassandra seemed just as composed as she had been before. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you must have a lot of questions for me</span>
  <span>–</span>
  <span> ” Cassandra started, but Andres interrupted her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You think? You don’t even know my name and you’ve dragged me to some unknown location.” Andres was visibly annoyed now. Being the unofficial caretaker of the other mercenaries, he always had to get up early to prepare them for the day ahead; a journey into the woods with a strange woman before dawn was ridiculous, even for him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cassandra waved her hand in the air in a dismissive manner. “I’m an oracle, Andres, I know more about you than you could imagine. We can discuss my knowledge of you later, I want to talk to you about something important.” Here Cassandra paused, waiting for Andres to give a rebuttal of some sort but he remained silent so she carried on. “We’re not friends, we’re barely allies, and I’ve given you no reason to trust me, but I know you. I’ve known of you since before you were born. Our meeting was written in the stars. I should know, I come from them,” she murmured the last part while looking up, her eyes reflecting the unending sky. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Andres could see every constellation in her gaze and felt something in his chest. He wasn’t one for legends and myths but for some inexplicable reason, he was inclined to believe her. “So what does that mean for me?” he asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cassandra lit up at his invitation. “You must be the one to save the woman the Imperial family is looking for and make this empire stronger than ever. I am here to help you and guide you. I am at your service,” Cassandra began walking further into the woods slowly. “Heed my teachings,” she whispered, as she disappeared, already gone from his sight.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6: 2 Days Since</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Next thing Andres knew, he was waking up on a soft bed of grass, the sun having just risen over the horizon. Shaking the fog from his mind, he got up and quickly made his way back towards the town. Entering the inn, he was greeted enthusiastically by the mercenaries who saw fit to  knock him down and form a big pile on top of him. Under the mass of bodies, Andres saw a pair of boots walk up slowly and stop before him. He tried his best to crane his neck and look up at whoever stood in front of all them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amongst the loud voices of his comrades, he heard his older brother talk. “Well, look who decided to show up. We were just about to send a search party.We don’t have time to save two damsels now do we?” The men roared with laughter but Andres just stared blankly. Hollow used his foot to push a few of the men on him away and held his hand out to pull Andres up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whew look at those arms!” Amethyst whooped in the background. Cassandra tuned her out, observing Andres intently as his brother teased him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollow turned a little more serious. “Well, since we were in a rush to find you, we haven’t briefed our new recruits on the situation. And frankly, we’ve wasted too much time thanks to your antics Andres.” Hollow fixed him with a hard glare. “My men know what’s going on,” Hollow started, turning to Cassandra and Amethyst, “but you two don’t. Long story short, we’ve been hired by Her Imperial Highness, Princess Valena to rescue one of her maids who’s been  kidnapped.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amethyst gave a low whistle. “Wow, an Imperial princess, that’s gotta be a lot of coin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Funny, I didn’t think you would be the money-loving kind…” Cassandra said, nudging Amethyst lightly with her arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m totally not but requests with high rewards usually means high difficulty. There’s nothing quite like a good challenge!” Amethyst replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollow sighed, “Ladies please, back to the issue at hand.” He motioned for his men, now standing, to start gathering their belongings.“My men, myself included, will be doing any sort of fighting we may need. Andres does our cooking and cleaning, Cassandra, you’ll be watching for danger or giving us guidance, and Amethyst, uh,” he stalled, not sure what job he could assign to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amethyst jumped in with enthusiasm. “Like I said, I’m pretty good at gathering intelligence! I also know enough languages to be a decent translator.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do we need a ferret for? We’re plenty capable of getting people to tell us what they know,” someone yelled in the background. A few men nodded along with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amethyst turned in the direction of the voice. “Well your approach isn’t entirely wrong, but you never know if that’s all there is to it. You see, I absolutely love secrets and when you’ve lived on the streets for as long as I have, you learn that everyone has them. Just because you want a situation to be exactly as it seems, doesn’t mean it will. You can’t make assumptions.” She then turned back to Hollow. “And you never know what this mission may actually entail. This situation is way too fishy.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This last statement caught Hollows’s attention. He and his men had received this mission from Princess Valena herself, and this woman he had just met was already questioning everything. But as he thought about it more, Amethyst’s suggestion started to make sense: the rushed nature of the assignment, the inordinate amount of resources dedicated to retrieving a lowly maid, the princess’ similarly low status within the palace. Hollow cursed himself for not seeing it earlier. Their job just got a lot harder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As smart as you are beautiful, Miss Amethyst,” Hollow said with an appreciative smile. “It’s settled then, you’re in charge of intel and translation, although I also want you to be present for decision making.” He turned to his men, “We’ll wait here until the ones who left to get supplies return before we depart.” With that, everyone waited until preparations were complete before they set on their journey into the nearby forest, hoping to catch up to their targets quickly.</span>
</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7: 2 Days Since</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jaya was having the second worst week of her life. She spent the first two days of her abduction floating in and out of consciousness, before finally waking on the third morning, unsure of where she was or how she had gotten there. She was groggy and there was a dull pain on the side of her head where she’d been hit. She sat up slowly and tried to assess the situation. She seemed to be alone in a tent smaller than her room back at the palace and her hands were bound by a coarse, thick rope that chafed against her skin. Every now and again shadows passed by the tent and she heard the lively sounds of human activity coming from outside. But before she could try and free herself or call for help, a young man close to Jaya’s age lifted the entrance flap and peeked his head into the tent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh good, you’re up. You were out for about two days, I promise I didn’t mean to hit you that hard, Your Imperial Highness,” the man said brightly. His cheerful demeanor was entirely at odds with the current hostage situation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaya stared at him dumbly before realization struck. These people had clearly mistaken her for Valena. She opened her mouth to tell the man as much, when she shut it again just as quickly. These people, foolish as they were, had already proven to be very dangerous. There was no telling what they would do to Jaya if they found out who she really was. Not to mention what they would do to Valena once they went back to fix their mistake. Poor, young Valena who had already suffered so much injustice at the hands of her father. Pretending to be the princess might be the only way to keep herself safe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Jaya took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she glared at the man who at this point had been watching Jaya’s internal dilemma play out for a long time with a somewhat befuddled expression. Straightening her spine, she pulled her chin up in disdain. “How dare you! Do you know what my father will do to you when he catches you?” She made a point to struggle with her restraints before stopping with a huff. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man laughed lightly  and entered the tent fully to crouch down in front of her. “Soon enough, it won’t matter. Your father may be powerful but he’s a sinful man who does nothing but hurt people, all so he could become emperor.” His expression soured at that. “Think of this situation as payback for all he’s done.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His face cleared again and he smiled sweetly. Jaya leaned away in disgust. Suddenly a taller, rougher man entered the tent. Spotting Jaya’s companion, he frowned. “What are you doing here? You haven’t been authorized to enter this tent!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span> The man crouched down next to Jaya bolted up in a hurry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry sir!” he replied, panicked. The new figure only grunted and motioned for the other man to leave with a jerk of his head. Head down like a scolded dog, he left the tent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry about him, he’s a new recruit and very enthusiastic about bringing happiness back to the people of Agnizera,” Jaya’s newest visitor sighed, dragging his hand down his face. His face was lined and tired, making him appear older than Jaya initially guessed him to be. Nevertheless, he radiated an aura of command. “My name is Yvm. I’m the leader of the Anti-Agni resistance from the great country of Colovia, charged with ending the tyranny of the Emperor’s reign and bringing justice back to this continent.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yvm waited for Jaya’s response but she sat still as stone. One wrong move and she could be found out and murdered without hesitation. She needed more information.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yvm tried again. “I know that as a member of the Imperial family, you have close ties to the emperor, but you must understand, we’re doing this with the well being of millions of people in mind. We need your father to go down but it’s impossible to approach him with all of his security. We need you as a hostage to demand change.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaya was certain now. These men had no idea who she was. Not only did they think she was an Imperial princess, they didn’t even know who their original target was. Even if they had managed to capture Valena, it would not have mattered. Valena held no power in the Imperial family. Unloved and unwanted, she would have made an equally terrible  bargaining chip as a lowly maid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaya was astounded by their ignorance. It made sense that a rebel group hailing from a different country, the last to be annexed, would have limited knowledge of the family and inner workings of the castle from Agnizera, a country on the other side of the continent.But as evidenced by this botched kidnapping, they hadn’t even done basic research into the relationship between the royal heirs and the Emperor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaya was thoroughly perplexed. Just how uncoordinated were these rebels? Did they really believe they would succeed? Jaya wanted to see the Emperor taken down as much as anyone, but this group obviously had no idea what they were doing. This did not, however, make them any less dangerous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was in serious jeopardy. While Jaya carried herself with dignity, she was no princess. The charade would not hold forever. She had to escape. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaya put her head down and pretended to ignore Yvm. Eventually, accepting that she had shut herself off from him, he left the tent. Once she could no longer hear his footsteps, Jaya stood up and immediately started looking around. Her bound hands hindered her search, but she was determined to find her way out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tent itself was empty except for her and the blankets she woke up in. She peeked out the tent’s flaps and her heart sank. Although her tent was not directly guarded, it was placed in the middle of an enormous camp swarming with people. Women and children played and went about their daily routines alongside heavily armed men patrolling the camp. Jaya ducked her head back inside her tent and tried to look for another way out. Towards the back, she found that one of the stakes holding the sides of the tent down were sharp and slightly exposed. She smiled grimly. It wasn’t a way out, but it could help level the playing field. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wore her bindings down by increments. People would come in the tent to feed her or talk to her about their goals but she never listened and never ate. She continued to rub the ropes against the stake unnoticed, working well into the evening when they finally fell. She tied them back loosely so as not to raise suspicion and waited until someone came in to give her dinner for her to try and escape. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, a plump woman with a warm smile came in. She set the food down but as she turned to leave, Jaya grabbed her wrist, hands still loosely bound. “I demand to take a bath!” she said, nose in the air. The woman’s face was a little shocked but when she spoke she resumed her calm demeanor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see, well you have been asleep for the past two days and you’ve been cooped up in here all day. I’m sure you feel awful. Let me ask for permission to take you to the river.” she said kindly. The woman left the tent reappearing after a few minutes  with a rough cloth, some clothes, and a blob of soap that smelled like lavender. She helped Jaya to her feet and took her to the river, undressing them both and getting to work. The water and soap that first came off was a dingy brown color and Jaya ended up needing to get washed twice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they finished up, the woman grabbed a cloth to dry them off and helped dress Jaya. Jaya endured the woman’s ministrations without complaint, but as soon as she turned around to grab her own clothes, Jaya took a large branch and hit the woman in the back of her head as hard as she could. She immediately started running as far and as fast as possible. She had no idea what direction she was going, or where she was heading as long as it was away from the camp. The forest loomed ahead of her, dense and foreboding, but she didn’t have time to stop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After about an hour, Jaya finally slowed down and collapsed on the mossy forest floor. She laid curled in the fetal position, and closed her eyes, finally giving in to her body’s exhaustion, when she heard footsteps behind her. Her eyes flew open and she leapt to her feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaya ran faster than she had ever run before, a mixture of fear and adrenaline coursing through her veins. She ran blindly, crashing into branches and tripping over roots. The footsteps only grew louder, however, as her chaser gained ground. Jaya suddenly heard voices along with the sounds of her own frantic breathing. The sun had already set and she could see a campfire in the distance, billowing softly against the night sky. Determined to find her way to freedom, she continued on. But by this time, the physical and emotional toll on her body was too much and she began to slow down drastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her lungs burned and her limbs were covered in scratches. The campfire lay just ahead in a small clearing and Jaya could smell the smoke in the air. She was so close, just a few minutes more and she could be saved--!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>BAM! A large body slammed into hers. Twisting and thrashing about, she tried to free herself only to be pinned to the ground. She craned her head only to see the young man from before. Teeth bared in a maniacal grin.  He was furious. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>More footsteps thundered by and stopped when they reached Jaya’s prone body. “Is this how you repay those who have treated you well? I would like to believe we’ve been hospitable to you, my lady. We have done nothing to hurt you and you still deserted us, going as far as to harm an innocent woman.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Yvm. He sighed dramatically and shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaya spat a wad of leaves and dirt out of her mouth. “You hypocrite!” she gasped. “You knocked me out for two days and kidnapped me--!” The man holding Jaya down clamped his hand over her mouth after that outburst. Yvm moved closer and crouched down near Jaya’s head.  “Obviously I can’t kill you for that stunt because you’re our best bet at a brighter future, but don’t think I’ll be doing you any more favors from now on.” With that, he turned around and waved his hand for the man pinning her down to follow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled her up and thought for a second before setting her down again and searching for something on the ground. He quickly found what he wanted: a large, heavy rock, and struck Jaya on the head, knocking her out once more. The last thing Jaya could remember was looking up at the stars shrouded by smoke as she was hoisted onto the man’s shoulder before everything went black.</span>
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